THE BIG EASY

I posted these messages in response to comments in a friend's blog where a discussion about Katrina is unfolding. I thought they were important enough to record here:

It's VERY easy to assume this situation is about Race, but it's not. It's about MONEY.

Everyone, including the spectrum between the most innocent of the Black Community to the Ugliest of Right Wing Freak Christians, are going to exploit this as a maneuvering tool, instead of focusing on the humanity and healing. Everyone who is shooting, looting, raping, dismissing, or using this disaster as a political or philosophical platform to move forward an agenda are ALL Opportunists, contributing more to the problem.

The issues involved with this disaster are far more complex than Racist Conspiracies or Failure of a Race. Those two ends of the spectrum are just the easiest, simplest places for the average American to find footing, but seriously, this is a HUMAN RACE issue and we need to stick together.

I really wish people would think past the surface of life...

People will pounce on all facets of this disaster to support their own fears or agenda. This tragedy is completely losing its point when everyone starts making it about Race Issues. For instance, those two images of which you speak. They are TWO images of THOUSANDS of images coming out from HUNDREDS of sources. AND, those two images were from completely unrelated sources! To twist those images into a form of support for proof of Racism is as silly and unfounded as those who are saying that "god destroyed new orleans because of the sinners." Maybe the White Couple DID "find" their food. Maybe the Black guy DID "loot." Or maybe both "found" or both "looted," but the point is that two completely unrelated sources chose different words and there was no conspiracy to sell a Racist spin.

This is why the Racism continues to exist so cleanly in America, because we are so busy pulling the RACE card when it is completely irrelevant, diminishing the reality of it when it IS valid.

Come on, people, be very careful...